1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to leather-like articles and more specifically it relates to leather-like articles obtained from wood-filled ethylene interpolymers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,798 discloses highly filled thermoplastic compositions useful as sound-deadening sheeting for automotive carpets consisting essentially of (a) from about 5-50% by weight of at least one copolymer of ethylene with at least one comonomer such as vinyl esters of saturated carboxylic acid, unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids, and esters of the unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acids; (b) from about 2-15% by weight of processing oil; and (c) from about 50-90% by weight of filler, such as calcium carbonate and barium sulfate.
Stead et al., European Patent Application No. 13,089, discloses the use of blends of ethylene/propylene copolymers with 40% wood flour in laminates with cloth.
Yagi, Japanese Patent No. 79 92,613, discloses blends of atactic polypropylene with mixtures of calcium carbonate, ammonium phosphate and wood flour.
Nahano, et al., Japan Kokai No. 76 69,552, discloses blends containing 20-45% polyolefins, less than 50% powdered wood and less than 50% calcium carbonate.
Copending patent application Ser. No. 273,418, filed June 15, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,438,228, discloses filled thermoplastic compositions useful, for example, as sound-deadening sheeting for automotive carpet that are obtained by blending about 5-55% by weight of ethylene/.alpha.-olefin copolymer, the .alpha.-olefin containing from 4-10 carbon atoms; about 2-12% by weight of plasticizers selected from the group consisting of processing oils, epoxidized oils, polyesters, polyethers and polyetheresters; about 40-90% by weight of filler such as calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, hydrated alumina, clay, magnesium carbonate, calcium sulfate, silica, flyash, cement dust, wood flour, ground rice hulls and mixtures thereof; and optionally elastomeric polymers.
Copending patent application Ser. No. 273,419, filed June 15, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,403,007, discloses filled thermoplastic compositions useful, for example, as sound-deadening sheeting for automotive carpet that are obtained by blending about 5-55% by weight of an ethylene interpolymer, such as ethylene/vinyl acetate, ethylene/unsaturated mono- or dicarboxylic acid or esters of said unsaturated acids, etc.; about 1-15% by weight of a plasticizer selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polyethers, polyetheresters and combinations thereof with processing oil; about 40-90% by weight of filler, such as calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, hydrated alumina, clay, magnesium carbonate, calcium sulfate, silica, flyash, cement dust, wood flour, ground rice hulls and mixtures thereof; and optionally modifying resins, such as unvulcanized elastomeric polymers and certain other ethylene and propylene homo- and copolymers.
Copending patent application Ser. No. 273,420, filed June 15, 1981, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,190, discloses filled thermoplastic compositions useful as sound-deadening sheeting having improved tensile elongation obtained by blending about 5-60% by weight of a mixture of at least two copolymers of ethylene, having specified polar comonomer contents, about 40-90% by weight of filler, such as calcium carbonate, barium sulfate, hydrated alumina, clay, magnesium carbonate, calcium sulfate, silica, flyash, cement dust, wood flour, ground rice hulls and mixtures thereof; and 0-15% by weight of plasticizer selected from the group consisting of processing oils, polyesters, polyethers, and polyetheresters; and optionally modifying resins such as elastomeric polymers and certain other ethylene and propylene homo- and copolymers.